The 1973–74

Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...

season was their seventh in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

. The Colonels finished in second place in the ABA's Eastern Division. They met the

Carolina Cougars The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Ca ...

in the Eastern Division Semifinals and swept them in 4 games. They met the eventual champion

New York Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

in the Eastern Division Finals, where they lost. McCarthy was let go after this season.

Offseason

Special circumstances draft

Senior draft picks

Undergraduate and supplemental draft

Preseason transactions

On July 31, 1973, the Kentucky Colonels were bought by future

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-el ...

John Y. Brown, Jr. John Young Brown Jr. (December 28, 1933 – November 22, 2022) was an American politician, entrepreneur, and businessman from Kentucky. He served as the 55th governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, and built Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) into a ...

and other investors. Famed college coach

Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. He is ranked seventh in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching at the Univ ...

was hired as Vice President of the Board. General Manager

Mike Storen Mark "Mike" Storen Jr. (September 14, 1935 – May 7, 2020) was an American sports executive in basketball, baseball, and American football, football. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame and a stint in the US Marines, he be ...

resigned and was replaced by

Gene Rhodes Eugene Stephen Rhodes (September 2, 1927 – March 10, 2018) was an American basketball player and coach. Career Rhodes played college basketball at Western Kentucky University. While Rhodes was a player, WKU won the Ohio Valley Conference champ ...

. Head coach Joe Mullaney left the team in order to become head coach of the Utah Stars and Babe McCarthy was hired as Mullaney's replacement.

Preseason exhibition games

Like most ABA teams, the Colonels played several preseason exhibition games against

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

opponents. The first for the 1973–74 preseason came on September 21, 1973, on the Colonels' home court at Freedom Hall in Louisville against the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

Rudy Tomjanovich Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is a consultant for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His professional playing career, whic ...

scored 32 points for the Bulls. Center Artis Gilmore had 22 points and 18 rebounds for the Colonels; his teammate, forward

Dan Issel Daniel Paul Issel (born October 25, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An outstanding collegian at the University of Kentucky, Issel was twice named an All-American en route to a school-record 25.7 points per ...

, scored 20. The Colonels won, 110–102. The next night the Colonels hosted the

Kansas City–Omaha Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. Rick Mount scored 21 points for the Kings; his teammate Nate Archibald scored 19. Guard

Louie Dampier Louis Dampier (born November 20, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player. A 6-foot-tall guard, Dampier is one of only a handful of men to play all nine seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) (1967–1976), all w ...

led the Colonels with 22 points and Kentucky won 110–99.

Regular season

Roster

* 2 Walt Simon * 3 Joe Hamilton * 10 Louie Dampier * 22 Collis Jones * 25 Jim Bradley * 44 Dan Issel * 8 Ron Thomas * 9 Red Robbins * 11 John Roche * 15 Chuck Williams * 53 Artis Gilmore

Season standings

1973-74 ABA Season Summary - Basketball-Reference.com
/ref>

Game log

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Month by Month

October 1973

The Colonels opened their season on October 12, 1973, away from their usual home court at Freedom Hall in Louisville, playing instead in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, where stars Dan Issel and Louie Dampier had played college basketball at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

. In front of 8,727 fans Issel scored 27 points to lead the Colonels to a 111–100 victory over the Denver Rockets. The next night in Louisville the Colonels hosted the Utah Stars and won 103–101 in front of 10,476 fans as Issel scored 36. Issel put in 33 points on October 17 as the Colonels won in front of 5,943 home fans against the

Virginia Squires The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976. The team originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, a ...

116–106. October 19 brought a road win against the

, 121-109 as Issel scored 30. The following night saw a rematch of the two teams in front of 7,026 fans in Louisville with the Cougars prevailing 105-102 despite Issel's 29 points. October 24 brought a 100–98 home win against the

. On October 26 the Colonels won on the road against the Virginia Squires; Louie Dampier's 21 points led Kentucky to a 104–99 victory. The next night in Louisville, Issel's 31 led the Colonels to a 90–87 win against the Denver Rockets in front of 7,223 fans. The Colonels closed out the month with a runaway win at home against the

San Diego Conquistadors The San Diego Conquistadors (known as the San Diego Sails in their final, partial season), were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in San Diego. The "Q's", as they were popularly known, played from 1972 to 1975. As the Sails, the ...

, 146–105; 7,412 saw Dan Issel lead all scorers with 25. The Colonels closed the first month of the season with 8 wins and 1 loss (.889).1973-74 ABA Game by Game Log- Part 1
/ref>

November 1973

On November 2 the Colonels notched a road win against the New York Nets, 121–109; John Roche led all scorers with 41 points before 8,678 fans. The two teams met again the next night in Louisville and the Colonels prevailed again, 93–87; the 11,277 fans in attendance saw Roche and Dan Issel lead all scorers with 29 apiece. On November 7 the Colonels hosted the Memphis Tams; attendance was 6,834 as Kentucky won 113-89 behind Issel's 30 points. On November 9 the Colonels hosted the Carolina Cougars in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

; 6,194 saw the Cougars win 139–110. The next night in Louisville Issel's 31 points led Kentucky to victory over the Virginia Squires 111-107 before 7,988 fans. November 14 saw a rematch with the Carolina Cougars in Louisville and the Colonels again came out on the short end, 107–102, despite Issel's 27 points before 8,121 fans. November 17 saw the host Colonels defeat the rival

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

100–96; 13,766 turned out for the rivalry game as Issel put in 28 points. On November 21 the Colonels hosted the Virginia Squires in Lexington with 7,656 in attendance and Kentucky won 145-115 despite George Gervin's 31 points. On November 23 the Colonels lost 118–114 on the road to the Indiana Pacers as George McGinnis put in 37 points with 10,079 on hand. The next night the Colonels held court in Cincinnati again and defeated the San Diego Conquistadors 124-121 before 3,421 fans; Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore each score 30 for Kentucky. On November 26 the Colonels' home court was in Bowling Green, Kentucky (in the home gym of Western Kentucky University) and 10,453 turned out to see Kentucky lose their third straight to the Carolina Cougars, 94–82, despite Issel's game-high 27. On November 28 the Colonels drew a capacity crowd (10,146) in the San Diego Conquistadors' home gym and though Issel led all scorers with 36 the Conquistadors won 104–99. The next evening saw the Colonels on the road again, squaring off against the Memphis Tams; Issel scored 32 in front of 5,106 fans and Kentucky won 102–92. The Colonels ended their month on November 30 before 3,116 fans in Cincinnati, losing to the Indiana Pacers 107-104 despite Issel's 31.1973-74 ABA Game by Game Log- Part 2
/ref> The Colonels went 8–6 in November, making it the franchise's worst month in quite some time. Their record for the season dropped to 16-7 (.696).

December 1973

On December 1 the Colonels lost in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, to the Carolina Cougars, 120–113; 6,231 attended and Dan Issel and Billy Cunningham led all scorers with 21 each. The Colonels returned to action on December 7, losing on the road to the Indiana Pacers 105-97 before 8,079 fans despite Issel's game-high 28. The next night in Cincinnati the Colonels lost to the New York Nets 102–87; 4,951 saw Julius Erving and Louie Dampier lead all scorers with 27 each. Kentucky's next game was a road win against the San Antonio Spurs, breaking a four-game losing streak; Dan Issel had a game-high 28 before 7,674 spectators. The Colonels next hosted a game in Cincinnati on December 14, defeating the Memphis Tams 115-94 despite

Johnny Neumann Carl John Neumann (September 11, 1950 – April 23, 2019), nicknamed "Johnny Reb", was an American professional basketball player and coach. At 6'6" and 200 pounds, he played at the shooting guard and small forward positions. High school and col ...

's 25; attendance was 2,164, a very low total for Kentucky. The next night in Denver the Colonels defeated the Denver Rockets 120–114; Dan Issel poured in 46 points before 3,890 fans. The next night, December 16, saw Kentucky win on the road 106–101 against the San Diego Conquistadors despite Stew Johnson's game-high 43 for San Diego before 1,764 fans. The Colonels returned to action on December 19, losing a close one on the road to the New York Nets 83–82; Julius Erving led all scorers with 30 and 7,493 attended. December 21 saw the Colonels lose at home 86–85; Willie Wise put in 29 before 9,102 in Freedom Hall. The next night the two teams met again, this time in the Stars' home arena, the

Salt Palace The Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, more commonly known as the Salt Palace, is a convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Named after Utah's 11th governor, Calvin L. Rampton, the name "Salt Palace" was previously used by two ...

; Utah won again, 86-82 and Willie Wise had a game-high 25 before 6,341 fans. The next night, December 23, saw Kentucky notch a road win against the San Diego Conquistadors, 123–120; 2,368 saw Dan Issel score 31. On December 26 the Colonels manhandled their rivals, the Indiana Pacers, 106–78 in Louisville before 10,811 as Issel put scored a game-high 28. The following evening Kentucky lost before 3,133 fans in Cincinnati to the Denver Rockets, 105–100, despite Artis Gilmore's game-high 29. December 29 saw the Colonels run away with an easy road win against the Memphis Tams, 145–101; Dan Issel had 30 points before a meager crowd of 1,885. The Colonels split their December games evenly, with 7 wins and 7 losses, their worst month in quite some time. This left their season record at 23-14 (.622) heading into calendar year 1974.

January 1974

February 1974

March 1974

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals ''Colonels win series, 4–0'' Eastern Division Finals ''Colonels lose series, 0–4''

Player statistics

Legend

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Awards

, All-Star selection *

, All-Star selection * Artis Gilmore, All-Star selection * Babe McCarthy,

1974 ABA All-Star Game The seventh American Basketball Association All-Star Game was played January 30, 1974 at Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia before an audience at 10,624. Babe McCarthy of the Kentucky Colonels coached the East, while Joe Mullaney of the Utah Stars ...

(head coach, Eastern) * Artis Gilmore All-Star Game MVP * Artis Gilmore, First Team All-ABA * Artis Gilmore, ABA All-Defensive Team * Dan Issel, All-ABA Second Team * Louie Dampier, All-ABA Second Team * Babe McCarthy,

ABA Coach of the Year Award The American Basketball Association's Coach of the Year was an annual National Basketball Association (ABA) award given from 1968 to 1976. It was awarded to nine people in total, with two instances of co-Coach of the Year Awards being given out. ...

(along with Utah Stars' Joe Mullaney)

Records

* Louie Dampier, highest 3 point field goal percentage (.387), 1973–74 season * Artis Gilmore, most minutes played (3502), 1973–74 season * Artis Gilmore, most rebounds per game (18.3), 1973–74 season * Artis Gilmore, most blocked shots per game (3.42), 1973–74 season * Artis Gilmore: February 3, 1974: most rebounds in one game (40) in ABA history: * Artis Gilmore: February 3, 1974: most defensive rebounds in one game (34) in ABA history * April 5, 1974: most errors (turnovers) in an ABA playoff game: 37 (Kentucky (99), at Carolina Cougars (96))

Transactions

Drafts Special S and preseason signings

The Colonels drafted Ernie DiGregorio in the special circumstance draft but he signed with the NBA's Buffalo Braves. The Colonels also drafted

M.L. Carr Michael Leon Carr (born January 9, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA), and former head coach and General Manager of the Boston Celtics. ...

and

Ron Behagen Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe A ...

but Carr stayed in college and Behagen signed with the NBA's Kansas City-Omaha Kings. Prior to the season head coach Joe Mullaney left to coach the Utah Stars and was replaced by Babe McCarthy; at the end of the season McCarthy, despite being named ABA Coach of the Year, was fired and eventually replaced by Hubie Brown who went on to win the 1975 ABA Finals in his first season.

Trades

* January 1974: the Colonels traded Jim O'Brien and a first round draft pick to the San Diego Conquistadors for Red Robbins and Chuck Williams * January 1974: the Colonels traded Rick Mount to the Utah Stars for a draft choice and cash * January 24, 1974: the Colonels traded Mike Gale and Wendell Ladner to the New York Nets for John Roche

References

Colonels on Basketball Reference

External links

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20150522142515/http://www.remembertheaba.com/Kentucky-Colonels.html RememberTheABA.com Kentucky Colonels page
RememberTheABA.com 1973-74 game by game results
{{DEFAULTSORT:1973-74 Kentucky Colonels season Kentucky Colonels seasons

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Kentucky Colonels, 1973-74 Kentucky Colonels, 1973-74